Israel’s foreign minister slammed the United Nations on Monday as the organization’s court opened a hearing on Israel’s legal responsibilities in Gaza.

Gidon Sa’ar said that the U.N. is a «rotten, anti-Israel, and antisemitic body,» which ought to be on trial for covering up terror affiliates within the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), who he said participated in the attacks of Oct. 7 2023. «The U.N. must answer for these crimes,» Sa’ar said.

He told reporters that Israel had decided «not to take part in this circus,» which is intended to deprive Israel of its «most basic right to defend itself.»

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«Secretary-General [Antonio] Guterres is personally accountable. He knew what was going on in UNRWA. He knew very well and he knows very well. Israel repeatedly warned him. He did nothing. He went out of his way to whitewash UNRWA. He continues to cover up the crimes of UNRWA and its terrorist employees.»

Jewish News Syndicate reported that Sa’ar later presented evidence that 25% of UNRWA staff «were implicated in terrorist activity» prior to Oct. 7, 2023.  Sa’ar said that UNRWA is a proxy of the terror group Hamas.

Fox News Digital reached out to Guterres’ spokesperson seeking comment on Sa’ar’s accusations, but did not get a response.

In a statement to the press on Monday, Guterres’ spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, told a reporter that he didn’t «think the Secretary General is a big fan of a circus.» Calling the presentation to the ICJ «extremely detailed and very clear and very legal,» he also said that Guterres was «very clear [and] straightforward» when the U.N. «first revealed the Israeli allegations against UNRWA.» Dujarric said that UNRWA Commissioner-General Phillipe Lazzarini «took extremely quick action» responding to the complaints. 

HEAD OF UN WATCHDOG SAYS UNRWA HIRED PEOPLE ‘WHO WERE SUPPORTING TERRORISM’

Photos released by the Israeli Defense Force show three individuals that the Israeli military claims are Hamas terrorists inside an UNRWA compound in Rafah. (IDF)

Lazzarini terminated the appointments of some of the UNRWA staffers who participated in the Oct. 7 attacks.

Dujarric also noted the «depletion of critical stocks» in Gaza since Israel blocked all aid to Gaza in March in an attempt to force a ceasefire with Hamas. Not only is food running out, but Dujarric said that trauma-related medical supplies, surgical supplies, therapeutic milk, medicines, and other important items are in short supply. 

In a statement regarding the ICJ hearings on April 28, U.N. Legal Counsel Elinor Hammarskjöld outlined the U.N.’s concerns about Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories. Referencing the Israeli Knesset’s law banning UNRWA’s operation, passed in October 2024, she stated that Israel cannot deny impartial humanitarian organizations from providing relief, and that concerns about the impartiality of such organizations may not be made unilaterally by an occupying power.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivers a statement at UN Headquarters on the situation in the Middle East following the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel. He reiterated his concern for civilian lives to be protected, he thanked Egypt for its help via Rafah crossing into Gaza and stated that humanitarian aid should be delivered to people of Gaza.  (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Hammarskjöld also said that U.N. premises are «inviolable,» per the Geneva Convention, and «immune from search, requisition, confiscation, expropriation, or any other form of interference.» 

In February, however, the State of Israel’s statement on the ICJ’s proceedings noted various incidents that demonstrate how UNRWA has violated the guiding principles of «neutrality, impartiality, and independence» mandated by the U.N.

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A military parade of the Hamas terrorist organization before the transfer of four Israeli female hostages to the Red Cross on January 25th, 2025. (TPS-IL)

Israel’s statement also lays out a variety of times when terrorist organizations «use and exploit UNRWA installations as hideouts and places of refuge» and claims agency staff «have assisted or closed their eyes to terrorists seeking refuge at those sites.» The U.S. suspended aid to UNRWA after learning that some of its members participated in the Oct. 7 attack. 

On April 24, the U.S. Justice Department determined that UNRWA, as a specialized agency of the U.N., is not entitled to diplomatic immunity in the U.S. In a lawsuit filed in June 2024 in the Southern District of New York, 100 victims of the Oct. 7 attack are seeking $1 billion in damages from UNRWA. Lazzarini is a named defendant in the suit.

La actividad manufacturera en China registró en abril una caída, en medio de un repunte de las tensiones comerciales con Estados Unidos, según datos oficiales publicados este miércoles por la Oficina Nacional de Estadística (ONE).

El índice gerente de compras (PMI) del sector industrial descendió a 49 puntos, marcando el inicio de una fase de contracción, después de alcanzar los 50,5 puntos en marzo, su mejor dato en un año.

El dato de abril quedó por debajo de las previsiones de los analistas, que esperaban una cifra más moderada de 49,7, y situó la actividad del sector por debajo del umbral de 50 puntos, que separa el crecimiento de la contracción.

El estadístico de la ONE Zhao Qinghe atribuyó el descenso a un “alto punto de partida por el crecimiento rápido anterior” y a un “drástico cambio en el entorno exterior”, en alusión al deterioro en las relaciones comerciales con Washington.

Desde comienzos de abril, entraron en vigor aranceles de hasta el 145 % impuestos por Estados Unidos a productos chinos, mientras que Beijing respondió con tarifas del 125 % a importaciones estadounidenses. Estos gravámenes comenzaron a reflejar su impacto en los indicadores económicos del mes, afectando especialmente a la confianza del sector manufacturero.

El PMI manufacturero incluye cinco subíndices clave, de los cuales producción, nuevos pedidos, inventario de materias primas y empleo descendieron por debajo de la marca de 50. Solo el subíndice de plazos de entrega se mantuvo en terreno positivo. La caída en los nuevos pedidos es especialmente relevante, ya que refleja un debilitamiento de la demanda, tanto interna como externa.

La actividad en los sectores no manufactureros, que incluye servicios y construcción, también se desaceleró. El PMI correspondiente descendió desde los 50,8 puntos en marzo a 50,4 en abril, con un retroceso más marcado en la construcción, que pasó de 53,4 a 51,9 puntos, mientras que los servicios cayeron a 50,1.

El PMI compuesto, que agrupa los sectores manufacturero y no manufacturero, se situó en 50,2 puntos, bajando desde los 51,4 del mes anterior, lo que confirma una desaceleración generalizada de la actividad económica.

En paralelo, el PMI alternativo elaborado por Caixin e IHS Markit, que se considera un referente para inversores internacionales, también mostró un retroceso, aunque menos acusado. Este índice cayó de 51,2 en marzo a 50,4 en abril, manteniéndose en zona de expansión.

Aun así, el economista de Caixin, Wang Zhe, señaló que “los nuevos pedidos de exportación cayeron nuevamente, a menudo atribuidos al impacto de los aranceles”, y advirtió que “la confianza empresarial cayó al tercer nivel más bajo desde abril de 2012”.

La economía china, la segunda del mundo, sigue mostrando señales de debilidad estructural tras la pandemia de COVID-19. La demanda interna no logra repuntar y el sector inmobiliario continúa en crisis. A pesar de los múltiples estímulos aplicados desde el año pasado, incluyendo rebajas de tipos de interés y facilitación de créditos hipotecarios, la reactivación sigue sin consolidarse.

El Gobierno central mantiene un objetivo de crecimiento del 5 % para 2025, una meta que varios economistas consideran difícil de alcanzar. Según Zichun Huang, de Capital Economics, “aunque el gobierno está aumentando el apoyo fiscal, esto probablemente no compensará completamente el arrastre del entorno externo”, y estima que el crecimiento se limitará al 3,5 % este año.

Las autoridades chinas han prometido la creación de 12 millones de empleos urbanos en 2025, pero el deterioro de los indicadores clave sugiere que los efectos del enfrentamiento comercial con Estados Unidos podrían continuar agravando la desaceleración económica del régimen.

(Con información de EFE y AFP)

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Mich., greeted President Donald Trump on the tarmac in Michigan before his speech to National Guard members on Tuesday, where she also spoke at the event without hiding her face.

«Well, I hadn’t planned to speak, but on behalf of all the military men and women who serve our country and serve so honorably on behalf of the State of Michigan, I am really damn happy we’re here,» Whitmer said.

Fox News co-host Judge Jeanine Pirro said on «The Five» Tuesday that Whitmer had a chance to set the tone for the Democratic Party.

«I think that…of course, she’s there because of the troops, but there are some Democrats who wouldn’t be in the same room with Donald Trump,» Pirro said. «I think that she did the right thing, and I think that wanting to work with the president to bring back manufacturing to Michigan is a smart move.»

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During the event on Tuesday, Trump unveiled plans to swap out the retiring A-10 Warthog aircraft based out of Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan with 21 brand-new F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets.

Trump shared the details during a speech to National Guard members at the Michigan base before an event commemorating his 100th day in office.

«So I want to thank Governor Gretchen Whitmer for bringing it also to our attention very strongly. And, you know, I’m not supposed to do that. She’s a Democrat. They say, ‘Don’t do that. Don’t have her here.’ I said, ‘No, she’s going to be here,’» Trump said. «She’s done a very good job, frankly. And she’s she was very much involved with, with the Republicans. They worked together on saving it. And it was not easy. So I want to thank you very much, Gretchen. Good job.»

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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer looks on as President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on April 9, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Whitmer’s presence Tuesday came a few weeks after seemingly hiding her face during a meeting with Trump in the Oval Office.

Whitmer was criticized for shielding her face with a folder as a photo of the moment became a meme on social media.

She poked fun at the now-viral moment by once again holding folders up in front of her face when asked about her trip to Washington, D.C., during an event at the Detroit Economic Club after the meeting with the president. 

«… I don’t want my picture taken, that’s all it was. I kind of wished I hadn’t put my folder up in front of my face, but whatever. You know I was there … I just wrote a book about learning to laugh at yourself, so I’m pretty good at it. We all have our moments,» Whitmer said. 

GRETCHEN WHITMER RIBBED ONLINE FOR SEEMING TO HIDE FACE IN OVAL OFFICE

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer waits with Michigan National Guard adjutant general Major Gen. Paul Rogers at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Tuesday, in Harrison Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The governor’s trip to Washington brought her 2028 presidential ambitions into the national conversation as she struck a diplomatic tone with Trump. She carefully criticized Trump’s tariffs while saying she understood the «motivation behind the tariffs» and even agreeing with Trump that we «need to make more stuff in America.»

Whitmer’s Oval Office moment marked her second meeting with Trump in less than a month, and Tuesday’s meeting now marks the third. As Trump signed executive orders from the Oval Office on April 9 and answered questions from the press, he said Whitmer had «done an excellent job» as governor and called her a «very good person,» a break from his typical lines of attack on her character. 

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When Trump signed the executive orders calling for the investigation of two first-term administration aides who were critical of his actions, Whitmer’s office said she was brought into the room «without any notice» and that her appearance was «not an endorsement of the actions taken or statements made.»

But Trump called the issues «bipartisan» and jokingly added, «We’ll all stand there together and cut a ribbon. OK, Gretchen?»

Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy and Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.